This invention relates to aspirator devices for removing harmful body fluids, and more particularly, relates to aspirator devices which can remove meconium or mucus fluids from a baby's stomach and lungs during delivery, as well as remove other potentially harmful body fluids.
It is well known to remove meconium fluids from the stomach and lungs of a baby during the delivery process. Even before the baby leaves the mother's birth canal, an obstetrician cleans out meconium fluid from the stomach of the baby being delivered. Sometimes, pediatricians also clean out the meconium fluid from the lungs of a baby during or shortly after delivery. It has been found most desirable to remove the meconium fluids during delivery since the birth canal compresses the stomach and lungs to assist in "pumping out" the meconium fluid.
One typical aspirator device which is used for this purpose is known as the "De Lee Suction Catheter with Mucus Trap" manufactured by the Sherwood Medical Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Such devices include a mucus trap or collector which is air tight and sealed to a first flexible plastic tube that extends into the mouth of a baby and a second flexible plastic tube, also air tight, sealed to the collector. The second flexible tube has at its free end a small mouth piece which the doctor inserts in his mouth to draw vacuum through the system to deposit harmful body fluids, i.e., the meconium fluid, into the collector.
It is also well known that such aforementioned devices sometimes permit fluids which overflow the collector to be sucked into the mouth of the doctor. While this does not repeatedly occur, every obstetrician and pediatrician has faced this unpleasant situation. If the baby or mother is infected with AIDS or other highly contagious disease it is quite apparent that for this situation to occur even once is one too many times. In an effort to solve this problem, the aforementioned devices have been "hooked up" to the hospital suction systems; however, not only does this require long lengths of connected tubing, the entire hospital vacuum suction system may become contaminated.
There are examples of other prior art devices which use manually operable vacuum means or squeeze bulbs to remove fluids from a container or body including U.S. Pat. No. 555,588; 659,470; 2,264,099; 2,511,469; 3,683,929 and 3,848,603. While these aforementioned devices operate for the variety of purposes shown in such patents and some have even suggested the use of squeeze bulbs with one or more valves to limit return flow of fluid, the fact is that as of the filing date of this application, the highly developed medical community, including medical supply companies, in the United States, continue to use the doctor's mouth as the means of suction to operate meconium aspirator devices, for removing meconium fluid from babies. While the doctor's mouth suction frees up the doctor's hands for use, the potential risk of exposure to highly contagious diseases does not justify the continued use of such systems.
It is thus apparent that the current devices and/or prior art patents have not fully considered the doctor's needs which include removal of meconium fluid and measurement of the quantity of meconium fluid received, while also permitting excess overflowing fluids to be removed from the system, without risk to the doctor. Further, such current devices and prior art patents have not fully considered the coordinated use of the doctor's hands, in removing meconium fluid, while not inhibiting the doctor in the use of his hands during the delivery process.